The Spirit of Japan: Festivals, Rituals, and Everyday Magic - Hardcover

Sean Michael Wilson; Fumio Obata

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1912634309 ISBN 13: 9781912634309

Publisher: Liminal 11, 2021

Synopsis

An introduction to everyday Japanese rituals and spiritual practices.

Japan is sometimes called a non-religious country, but this cliche is simply not true! If we look closer, we find that spirits, demons and magic are woven into the fabric of Japanese folklore and their effigies still populate roadsides and rituals to this day.

Japan is alive with magical festivals, practices and rituals from marking the liminal new year with the burning of last year s possessions, to smiling at the return of spring in the cherry blossoms. Greeting new life, making offerings to the old and banishing demons with the hurl of a soybean are all examples of intriguing Japanese traditions.

Many of these cultural practices are seen as mundane or normal, but they each express something sublime and numinous. Japanese rituals perform a powerful role in helping people deal with nature, time, seasons, aging and death bringing a bit of everyday magic into everyday lives.

The Spirit of Japan is an accessible introduction to Japanese spiritual practice, perfect for those who are curious about spirituality or Japanese culture and would like to know more.

About this title

About the Author

Sean Michael Wilson is a writer living in Scotland and Japan. His books are often on themes of history, biography and social issues. He has had more than twenty books published with a variety of US, UK, and Japanese publishers. His 2016 book The Faceless Ghost was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017, his book Secrets of the Ninja won an International Manga Award.

Edition details

• Publisher: Liminal 11
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912634309
• ISBN 13: 9781912634309
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Fumio Obata, Fumio Obata, Fumio Obata, Fumio Obata
• Number of pages: 104